1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to the field of seafood processing and preparation and more specifically concerns a method for processing crayfish in order to derive a food item which resembles in appearance a serving of finger lobster.
2. State of the Prior Art
Seafood continues to enjoy a world wide rise in popularity as its health benefits continue to become apparent and are widely disseminated. The resulting demand has put considerable pressure on traditional sources of seafood of all types, and has driven up prices for these products.
A need exists for sources of seafood which are appetizing and convenient to the consumer and available at reasonable cost.
Among the many varieties of seafood, crayfish, also known as crawfish and langostino, is a relatively underutilized seafood resource, even though it is found in many areas around the globe and is relatively easy to cultivate. In part this is because of the unfamiliar appearance of the crayfish to many Western consumers and is also due to the relative difficulty of extracting the edible meat of the crayfish from its shell. In the past, eating crayfish typically involved the cooking of the entire crayfish, which was then served whole. It was left to the consumer to dehead the crayfish and then extract the edible meat by cracking the shell and sucking out the meat. Generally, consumption of crayfish has been a rather messy and inconvenient undertaking.
What is needed is a method for processing crayfish so as to derive a food serving which is more readily acceptable in appearance and presentation to the consumer and which is conducive to easy and convenient consumption of the edible portions of the crayfish.